Tag: thankful in all things

Posted on

Traveling through a Season of Sadness

The picture above captures how many of us live our lives. Like the clouds, our day to day existence, doing the most mundane of things, keeps us from seeing the splendor of the hills and all life has to offer. The word keep means “to guard, to watch over, or to attend to carefully.” The clouds cause us to miss the beauty that is beyond and above them. The psalmist reminds us that we are to “lift up our eyes to the mountains— where does our help come from? Our help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.” Psalm 121:1,2. This passage reminds us that life is a journey of faith that requires reliance on God. the chapter ends (v 7 & 8) with the promise that will God will “Keep us from all harm— he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.”

I don’t know about you but I am doing everything I can these days to claim the before mentioned promise. These past several weeks God has moved me into a Season of Sadness. It started late in July when my dear friend Laura Huyett died. Some takeaways that come from funerals – Thankful in all Things Then I found out my very special caretaker, Teresa Jordan passed away with me, because of Covid restrictions, not even knowing she had been sick. 🙁 You, yes You, can make a difference in the world. – Thankful in all Things. Now in the last two weeks, two high school friends, a fraternity brother, and now a dear business partner have died. I am just at the beginning of grappling with it all but it certainly has taken a toll and has clouded my perspective like the clouds do in the valleys. Losing loved ones makes you examine your own mortality and whether one is living life in a way that matters most and in some way makes a positive difference.

Philippians 4 says we are not to be anxious about these things because when we bring our concerns and worries to the Lord, He will provide us peace which surpasses all human understanding. The misnomer here is that having a faith in God means we are never to feel discouraged or depressed. Scripture shows us nothing is father from the truth. Why does Jesus say, “I am the light of the world“? John 8:12 Because the world can be a very dark place and we need God to be “a lamp for my feet and a light on my path.” ( Psalm 119:105) It is not hard to stumble or lose our way in the midst of the darkness that comes our way. A light as small as the pin light on your key chain will cut through the most pitch black of surroundings. God promises to do the same with whatever circumstances come your way. As Ellen Foster shared in the most recent Center for Christian Study newsletter, “I don’t think anxiety or depression have to be things we’re trying from which we are to rid ourselves. Like a check engine light, those feelings may be an invitation for us to pay more attention.” That way, we can endeavor to focus intently on what clouds our vision knowing that through them there are hills from whence our help will come. As for me, I am claiming that promise and trying to walk toward the light that will lead me through this Season of Sadness.

Please subscribe to the blog if you would like email notifications when new material is posted.  You can reach me via email at [email protected]  For an amazing sermon on what it is like to face death with hope and who died three weeks later. Feel free to FF through the start of the service and the music. https://www.harvestfresno.org/sermons/to-die-is-gain/?fbclid=IwAR3mD8zBN2JM9x82xKQV8OqWt-ikp03I2CoHQYPmp2Og7oJ80h2NvW14_tA

Posted on

“I am just a nobody trying to help others be somebody”

Someone asked me a couple weeks ago, how I view myself and where my life fits into the world. For some reason, with very little thought the title of this post came out of my mouth. I can’t remember making this statement before so I have been wrestling with why I said it. This is not an attempt to be self-deprecating. It is my way via my own self perspective to write something g that will hopefully lift up and encourage you. Another line I have used often is “ God must not want me to be a wealthy person” I feel as though I have a generous heart and I know God loves a cheerful giver, https://www.biblegateway.com/verse/en/2%20Corinthians%209%3A7 so why every time, when we have have some extra money, does a large expense like a car repair or dental implants occur?
My point in poking fun at myself with these two statements is not where we get in life but how we lived our lives. Abraham Lincoln said it this way..” …in the end, it is not the years in a life it’s the life in the years“. Think about it. How many times have you thought something was going to happen which would take you to a new place and the door closed before you could walk through it? What about being sure you knew what God had planned and something occurred different than that plan? These thoughts increase in these days of following folks on social media. It is so easy to fall into the trap of thinking your life does not measure up. Proverbs 19:21 explains it by saying, “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.”
We are to be who God created us to be not try to be like someone else. My friend Bud Harper taught me this years ago after a lunch where a man shared how God changed His life. George Kettle https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/washingtonpost/name/george-kettle-obituary?id=5636625 had inexplicably become a man of great wealth and started a program that George H Bush recognized as one of his 1,000 points of life speech. https://youtu.be/SQhbEh8AeSA After the talk, I told Bud that I wished I could be like the man who spoke that day. Bud, normally mild mannered, grabbed me by the tie and said something I have never forgotten. “I don’t ever want to hear you say that again. God made you to be exactly who you are and does not want you to be anyone else.”
Haven’t we all wanted to be somebody else? Haven’t we all wondered, if only this or that had happened? Maybe not you but I at times, get tangled up https://thankfulinallthings.com/to-what-are-you-being-held-hostage/ thinking about why have things not gone the way I wanted or wishing my life looked more like others. If we allow it, we can be swallowed up by the lie that we are a nobody and that our lives don’t matter.


In God’s eyes, nothing is farther from the truth. Psalm 139:14 in The New Living Translation says we are to acknowledge His ways by saying “Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.” Only then, can He have His way with you so you can go from being a nobody to someone who Isaiah exclaims is “overwhelmed with joy in the LORD my God! For he has dressed me with the clothing of salvation and draped me in a robe of righteousness. I am like a bridegroom dressed for his wedding or a bride with her jewels now robed in righteousness and heir to His throne.” Isaiah 61:10 Once we find our confidence and value in Him, He asks us to follow three simple steps. Love Him with all your heart. Love others as He loves you. Let go of what you think you want and trust Him with the outcome. God will then use us to help others realize that like us, they too, are indeed somebody.

Please subscribe to this blog so that you can receive email notifications when new content is posted. I can be reached by email at [email protected]


Posted on

How do you deal with being tired?

Are you tired? Physically? Emotionally? Spiritually?

I posted this the other day when I realized I was flat out tired in every aspect of my life.  It came about because of a 6 week issue w my back, 2 weeks of travel while dealing with work, and relationships that were out of sorts. Needless to say, this fatigue was not making it easy to remain thankful in all things. This got me thinking about the title of this blog post. “How do you deal with tired?” There really are different types of tiredness and fatigue but they all come from not getting enough rest. There are ways we can resolve being tired on our own. Making sure you get enough sleep, maintaining a balance in your life, and limiting stress are a few that come to mind. These are certainly a good place to start but what I am learning is we can’t always resolve what causes fatigue on our own. Trying to handle the emotional and spiritual fatigue by ourselves often times can exacerbate it making us even more tired. It isn’t always about getting away either. As Dottie’s mom used to say, “Wherever I go, there I am.” We can’t get away from ourselves but we can ask others for help.

Max Lucado writes in his book Traveling Light,https://maxlucado.com/products/traveling-light-releasing-the-burdens-you-were-never-meant-to-carry/ “ Weary travelers. You’ve seen them — everything they own crammed into their luggage. Staggering through terminals and hotel lobbies with overstuffed suitcases, trunks, duffels, and backpacks. We’ve all seen people like that. At times, we are people like that — if not with our physical luggage, then at least with our spiritual or emotional load. We all lug loads we were never intended to carry. Fear. Worry. Discontent. No wonder we get so weary. We’re worn out from carrying that excess baggage. Wouldn’t it be nice to lose some of those bags?” Yes, there are burdens we carry that weigh us down. We often times need others to help us carry them or help us realize that we can just leave them behind. I wrote about how we need others in my most recent post. https://thankfulinallthings.com/to-what-are-you-being-held-hostage/ God, sent Jesus to help us ease our burdens as well. Matthew 11:28 gives us the advice, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” Think of yourself as the above mentioned weary traveler. How good does it feel when someone says,”Can I help you with those bags” or opens a door for you when your hands and arms are full? My reminder to you is life is not to do life alone. We need each other. Even Jesus sent the disciples not alone, but in pairs. “Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits.” Mark 6:7 Like Max Lucado wrote, we need others to help us when we don’t have the strength to carry on on our own.
Reverend Paul Walker summed it up this way in his “almost daily devotional”. “It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night.” (Psalm 92: 1-2) Morning and night. In the morning you might be raring to go, optimistic about the day ahead. You also might be tired fatigued, sluggish, or anxious about what the day holds. Either way, declaring God’s steadfast love is the way to begin and end each day.

“O Lord, support us all the day long, until the shadows lengthen, and the evening comes, and the busy world is hushed, and the fever of live is over, and our work is done. Then in your mercy, grant us a safe lodging, and a holy rest, and peace at the last. Amen.” (In the Evening – BCP p. 833)

Please share this blog with anyone to whom it might encourage.  Please subscribe to receive email notifications when new content is posted.  I can be reached by email at [email protected]

Posted on

How do you keep yourself energized?

Charles Stanley-“Whether or not we affect our world positively depends on the focus of our heart. Do you look inward to consider how you can do more to get ahead and add to your lot in life? Or do you look outward and think about ways that you can do more to serve others?”I posted this recently as one of my daily social media posts. My new Instagram friend Jeff asked me this question, “Is not a balance needed? Can one give what one does not have?” my answer was this, “burnout is a real phenomena, That is why we need to be continually filling ourselves with God‘s love through the Holy Spirit.” I really appreciated him asking me the question as I had already been preparing this message. It came from a devotional from Ashley Headley using her morning cup of coffee. Wait! A cup of coffee.

She wrote, “You can’t pour fresh coffee into a cup already full.” First there is no room for more and second, the fresh taste would be spoiled by the staleness of what was left over from yesterday. God wants us to experience the sweet taste of His abundance. Ashley continues, “Like my morning cup of Joe, God wants to pour His Word, a fresh anointing, and a fresh blessing into us every day.” Like an already full cup, our lives are too full with the distractions of the world. What do we need to empty out so God can have room to give us a fresh perspective on life?” Pastor Jeff was right. We we need to continually replenish ourselves with all He has to offer so we can be the best versions of ourselves. It needs to be a restoration of ourselves vs a renovation project. What is the difference? A renovation makes everything new, fresh, and shiny whereas a restoration brings something back to its original purpose. In this case, when we allow ourselves to stop chasing what the world says is success, we can return to to the beautiful fact that we were all created to be in a relationship with God. We can go about emptying ourselves throughout the day desiring to serve and love others as God loves us. That way we can return each morning with our cup empty so we can experience Psalm 119:103 “How sweet are your words to my taste, [O Lord Jesus,] sweeter than honey (or a fresh cup of coffee) to my mouth” Bill Gautierre sums it up this way. “I meditated on God’s promises and received nourishment for my soul. I prayed them and was strengthened to love my neighbor as the Lord loves me.” May you be encouraged To “put your confidence in God; rely on His Spirit; let the streams of His Living Waters flow into you and through you” (John 7:38-39).

Please subscribe to this blog to receive email notifications when new content is posted. I can be reached by email a [email protected]

Posted on

Running the race with purpose.

Finding a way to be thankful in all things depends on how you choose to run this race called life. I renamed my recovery from Guillain Barre the “180 Project” because I had two goals. 1) I wanted God to use the lessons He taught me through the adversity. I asked for Him to transform me into more and more the man He created me to be so I could be used fir His purposes. 2) I wanted my weight to once again be in the 180’s preferably 180) where it hadn’t been in a very long time. #1 has come a long way but I am still a work in progress but #2 is in sight (182 as I write) https://thankfulinallthings.com/tag/transformed/  My mantra became and has continued to be RISE UPP!!  RESOLVED INTENTIONAL STRIVING for ETERNAL things with UNDENIABLE PURPOSE/PASSION. 

My dear friend, Pamela Bunn, writes “Life is a long race, God our trainer, and holiness (and heaven) our goal. Without good physical, mental, and spiritual posture, we are hindered from running it well. Between the cloud of witnesses (who have completed the race) to encourage us at the start, and the finish line that yields the fruit and crown of righteousness, our heavenly coach tends to us personally for our good. His instruction, His example, and His tools are useful and effective in accomplishing His purposes.” Visit her blog at https://astherainandsnow.com/

Each of us need a cloud of witnesses to encourage us along the way. It is very hard to go at life transformation alone. This African proverb says it well. “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far go together.” Here are some of my encouragers 🙂

Grateful to have these folks show up to encourage us along the way

Jodie Berndt shares this about the importance of friendships. -“We can start with prayer but God created us for connection; we are hard-wired, science tells us, for love. We can ask God to give us—and make us—good friends, and to open our eyes to the life-giving relationships he wants us to cultivate.” https://jodieberndt.com/jodie-berndts-blog-posts/

Paul sums it up this way in 1st Timothy, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” I can in my own way say the same. I have fought the good fight through Guillain Barre Syndrome and then being impacted by the self-isolation of Covid. I have not yet finished the race but I have kept the faith which has become even more real through these seasons of challenge and adversity. I can personally attest to the fact that, whatever you are going through, God is right there with you. Look to Him for all things. Like me, you will find Him in every place and every time.

Please share this blog with others who you think it might encourage. Please subscribe if you haven’t already. I can be reached by email at [email protected]

Posted on

“Is your Attitude on Straight?”

I worked for Coldwell Banker back in the 1990’s. Dick Purvis was my boss but also an incredible mentor. He had all of his management team wear a lapel pin with the word Attitude. When he saw you or communicated with us, he would say, “put on a positive attitude and make sure it is on straight.” It became a daily affirmation with all of us much like “How will I make a positive difference in the world today” which I have been saying since the early 80’s. This blog is called Thankful in All Things for a reason. I started writing it to share lessons I have learned through adversity. It comes from finding life is better by having an attitude of gratitude which recently reminded me of Dick’s lapel pin.

When you look honestly at yourself, how do you feel about your attitude? If you find that you look at the glass and see it half empty vs half full, think about why what might be causing your pessimism or negativity? Are you an Adder, Subtractor, Multiplier or a Divider?   https://www.codeprocess.io/adder-subtractors-multipliers-dividers-the-types-of-people/ As I wrote about a couple weeks ago, we need to FACE our thoughts, TRACE what causes us to feel that way, ERASE it, and then find a way to REPLACE it with a positive mindset moving forward. This is what Dick meant when he would encourage us to have our attitude on straight.

Philippians 2:2-4 explains how having a Christ like mindset will keep our attitude in the right place. Paul writes, “Make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”

Charles Stanley explains it this way. “My limited human perspective doesn’t allow me to grasp His greater plan. However, I can confirm the truth of this biblical promise because the Father’s good handiwork appears all through my pain, hardship, and loss. I have experienced Him turn mourning into gladness and have seen Him reap bountiful blessings and benefits from my darkest hours.”

The truth that Charles writes about can set you free. John 8:31,32 states, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Free to live a life that allows you to face the challenges this life brings, conquer your fears, not seek others approval, but instead, live for an “audience of One” Who you can trust with the outcome. The One who created you and made you who you are. Knowing there is no one else like you and your are here for a purpose will help you keep that attitude on straight.



Please subscribe to this blog so you can receive email notifications when new content is added. I can be reached by email at [email protected]

Posted on

The challenge of wearing a mask…….

I read a devotional this week written by Beth Ann Nichols. It really got me thinking about how wearing a mask has changed how I relate with people. Beth Ann shared, “Never before have we looked into the eyes of our fellow man more than during this pandemic. With masks covering our smiles, our frowns and our quivering lips, we’re left with the eyes to tell our stories—and to “listen” to the stories of others.” I realized that I have to be more intentional on letting folks, whose paths I cross, know that I care. The mask itself shows I care because I am wearing it, not only for my own health, but also to make others feel comfortable being around me. What it doesn’t do is let people know I am smiling. It has also caused me to not engage with people as I did before Covid.


Matthew 6:22 says, “The eye is the lamp of the body. You draw light into your body through your eyes, and light shines out to the world through your eyes. So if your eye is well and shows you what is true, then your whole body will be filled with light.” Luke 11:33 shares “We are not to light a lamp and put it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl (or mask ?) Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. Your eyes are the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light”. When Jesus speaks of eyes and light, He means all people should keep their eyes on God because the eyes are the windows to the soul.” Beth Ann goes on to ask, “What do people see when they look into your eyes? When they’re forced to hold your gaze, do they see kindness, gentleness, joy? This has caused me to think about how a mask and staying social distanced has caused me to be less thoughtful about making people I encounter that they are seen and appreciated. Her exhortation motivated me this week to find ways to make sure people whose paths I cross know that I appreciate them. How?

I have started focusing on others eyes above their masks. It is amazing what we see when I look into theirs? I have learned that so many are feeling lonely, discouraged and are experiencing an emptiness. I am trying to initiate some interaction even with my mask and staying social distanced. People are at first surprised but are so grateful because like me, a lot of us have withdrawn without even knowing it. So my encouragement to you is give it a try. Step out and reach out to someone today. Each of us can help the world find its new normal. A normal where we all can show each other we care and want the best for them. Go out and shine the light.

Zephaniah 3:17 sings over us all. “The LORD your God is in your midst, Victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.” Rejoice inspite of the challenges you face no matter what they might be.  As my friend Don Sankey reminds me every day, even behind your mask, #makesomeonesmiletoday “Let your smile change the world but don’t let the world change your smile.” author unknown

Please subscribe to this blog if you would like email notifications when new content is posted. You can reach me by email [email protected]

Posted on

Sometimes it is a whisper, sometimes a nudge

The scripture above says, Jesus knocks on the door of your heart but only you can let Him into your life.
Once I opened the door to my heart and allowed Him to take residence, I have experienced that He keeps on knocking, nudging, and whispering to us. He does this so we can live out Hebrews 10:24 “Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works.”

There are a couple of things we need to do for Him to use us in this way. 1) Take time to stop and listen. Psalm 46:10 says we are to “Be still and know that He is God.” Think about your own life. When you are busy and focused on something, you don’t hear what someone near you might be saying or notice that they might need your help. How then can we hear what God is asking of us if are not taking the time to listen to what He has to say or what He want us to learn?

I am write this post to share and encourage you to tune in and listen to God who wants to share with us what He wants us to do. The simplest of acts can have an impact. Sister Jean B. Bingham says it this way. “Sometimes we think we have to do something grand and heroic to ‘count’ as serving our neighbors. Yet simple acts of service can have profound effects on others — as well as on ourselves.” We are called to share. https://www.calledtoshare.com/2020/04/27/shoulder-taps-and-gods-timing/ We are called to live out the scripture, James 2:14 “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? The beauty of acting out our faith is the more we exercise acting on the whispers and nudges, the more He shows us how to let others know we care. Sometimes it is just a text, a phone call, a timely handwritten note. We might drop bagels or some other treat for no apparent reason other than they came to mind. There is power in simply following up with someone after you have said you would pray for them. It is uncanny that no matter the act, time and time again people will say, “how did you know?”, “You doing this came at the perfect time”, or “You have no idea how much this meant to me” I have also been struck recently by how God leads me to answers at a time where I have been challenged in some way. I will read something in a book or the Bible or listen to a devotional that speaks so clearly to my present circumstance.

The key to acting on what God has for you is not doing it for your own gratification. It is not about getting recognition or being patted on the back. It is about opening your heart and mind so that God can tell you who He wants you to serve. A friend calls it “doing awesome things quietly” My dear friend Pamela prays it this way. “Lord, help me discern Your voice and follow You first, the One uniquely worthy of my surrender and allegiance. And may my following You be a draw for others to follow You too.”

It really is a simple process if you allow yourself to slow down. In the midst of the quiet, you will begin to have people come into your mind. When they do, act on it. Open the door so God can be present with you in every moment. You will begin to experience the wonder of being His conduit in allowing His Kingdom to come on earth as it will be heaven. In that moment, you will find yourself becoming “thankful in all things”

Please subscribe to this blog so that you can get email notifications when new content is added. You can reach me at [email protected]

Posted on

Who can we trust?

It has now been a couple of weeks since we watched our elected officials grapple with whether the President of the United States should be impeached for a second time. No matter which side you fell on regarding this decision, I found myself asking these questions. Was it true that the constitution does not allow for an impeachment after they leave office? Did the President know folks were coming to storm the Capitol? Was this just done because the Democrats wanted one more shot at Mr. Trump? Were the news outlets reporting objectively or was their desire to just sell more advertising?
These questions led me back to my main question, Who can we trust? We all have people in our lives that we think we know and to whom we can depend. This was further compounded for me when I heard about two strong Christian leaders who were living sinful private lives while leading thousands to and in their faith journeys. I was saddened to hear this had happened but was not surprised. Why? Because, like many leaders in the bible and like most of us, they fell prey to the things of the world. The end result is, should we choose to place our trust in man, we will ultimately be disappointed. Nor, can our family, friends, and colleagues truly trust us as we will make mistakes as well. The Bible makes it clear in Romans 3:23 that ALL not some “sin and therefore fall short of the glory of God” Meaning, people will disappoint us and we will disappoint others. It also means that there is no one we can truly trust except for God.

So what is the answer? It is that at the end of the day, we are only responsible for ourselves. I don’t mean this in a selfish, “it’s all about me way”. Quite the opposite. we need to have an attitude that no matter what comes our way, no matter how someone else wrongs us, how we respond is the choice we get to make. God exhorts us to “turn the other cheek”. He says “love others as I have loved you.”

It is all about to what are you tethered? Is it to the world or to the One who created you and knows how you best should live. I wrote about this concept a while back. Here is the link https://thankfulinallthings.com/to-what-are-you-tethered/

So how do we do it? If you have been reading my blog, you know Andrew Murray says it happens when we “Abide in Christ” like branches cling to the vine. Gregory Boyd in Present Perfect says we need to remind ourselves that “God is in the Now”. He goes on to say when we strive to honor Him the we can trust in the outcome. When we allow ourselves to detach from God’s presence thinking we can live life on our own power, like a branch, without the vine’s nourishment, like the faith leaders who lost their way, we lose our strength and the ability to live as we were meant to live. Charles Stanley says another way to think of it is to stop and wait. “The word wait has a different sense here—it means “pause for further instructions.” It’s not passivity; rather, we must choose to stop our actions and listen for God’s directive. Sometimes the Lord is silent for a season, but He has a purpose. He knows the perfect time for us to act, and until that moment, He wants us to wait. More strength and character are required to be still in the midst of a storm than to frantically seek our own solution.” May we all go out into our worlds acknowledging our desire to do things under our own power. When we do, the only one we can truly trust, promises to make us strong enough to persevere through whatever challenges or disappointments that come our way. Allowing us to remain “thankful in all things”.

Please subscribe to this blog if you would like to receive email notifications when new content is posted. You can reach me via email at [email protected]


Posted on

Musings on a snowy day

What is it about a snow day? Where I live in Charlottesville, VA, snow days are a big deal. Everyone talks about it for days before and things shut or slow down during and after the event for a couple of days. Part of the attraction is that sometimes because of the mountains to our west and the Atlantic Ocean not far to our east, it goes around us and doesn’t happen at all. We got one today ?

Watching the snow fall early and into the morning, I relished it’s beauty and the way it brings a fresh look to my usual perspective. The view from in front of my house or off the back deck is the same. (see below) Yet, it has been changed by the newly made winter wonderland. What came to mind is that it is only temporary. It is exciting and allows us to enjoy something new but pretty soon it melts away and the view is back to what it was before. The deer poop in the back yard is still there. It is just under the white blanket that will soon go away.

This is true about our lives as well. How many times do we try or do new things hoping they (like the snow over the deer poop) will cover up what is really bothering us? Interestingly, what deer leave behind can be harmful to your yard if not removed. https://mybackyardlife.com/what-to-do-with-deer-poop-in-yard/ The same can be said if we don’t deal with what causes stress and worry in our lives. It just spreads and causes more damage. If we are to remain thankful in all things, we need to find what brings us our purpose and our joy. Only then can we fight the circumstances that want to rob us of that very thing.
Paul David Tripp says it this way. “Looking to creation to do for us what it was not meant to do will not only disappoint us, it will enslave us, and for that there is rescuing grace.  We need to be constantly pointed toward the One who alone is able to satisfy the longing of our hearts.” What the world has to offer us is like the snow. It is temporal and will melt away leaving us disappointed and once again, yearning for something more.
Most of us know the Latin phrase, carpe diem, meaning “seize the day.” What we all need though is Coram Deo which is Integrity found when men and women live their lives knowing they were created to be in a relationship with God. A Ligonier ministry writer said it this way. “It is a life that is open before God. It is a life in which all that is done is done as to the Lord. It is a life lived by principle, not expediency; by humility before God, not defiance. It is a life lived under the tutelage of conscience that is held captive by the Word of God.” What it is not is a life that continues to be disappointed as it goes from one experience or snow day to another hoping to find happiness.
The good news is that God makes it all possible. He desires to be in a relationship with us and says the darkness of our imperfections are made as white as freshly fallen snow. Isaiah 1:18. James 4:8, says “if we draw near to God, He will draw near to us” and when we do we can have that snow day experience exclaiming “new every morning, new every morning, great is your faithfulness.” https://youtu.be/TYyZCCs5bJc

Please subscribe to this blog if you would like to receive email notifications when new content is posted. You can contact me by email at [email protected]